


A Reason

by MorganaNK



Category: Inspector Lynley - All Media Types, Inspector Lynley Mysteries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:07:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25388026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorganaNK/pseuds/MorganaNK
Summary: Set immediately after the episode 'Know Thine Enemy'.  Tommy is still worried about Barbara and goes looking for her.
Relationships: Barbara Havers/Thomas Lynley
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	A Reason

**Author's Note:**

> Property of Elizabeth George and the BBC, no copyright infringement intended

I found her leaning against a fence staring at the traffic as it passed. Quietly I approached her, but she was so deep in thought I doubted she would have noticed if I hadn’t.

“Barbara?”

She glanced at me briefly before returning her attention to the traffic.

“How did you find me?”

I stood next to her, close but not touching.

“I read the reports.”

She shrugged; a movement so miniscule that anyone else would have missed it. Not me.

“Come to finally say ‘I told you so’?”

“As I told you earlier, you need to stop feeling sorry for yourself.”

“I stood here and listened to her, and believed her as she lied to my face.”

I put my hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently.

“Not everything she said was a lie. If you hadn’t followed her here, we wouldn’t have found Kelly.”

“One right doesn’t make up for all the wrongs; all my wrongs.”

I sighed and stepped even closer, my arm replacing my hand. I was relieved that she didn’t move away or try and shake me off.

“What wrongs?”

“You were there. You had a front row seat. Do you really need me to list them?”

“I’m interested in what you consider to be your wrongs.”

“To add them to my already extensive catalogue?”

About to chastise her, I glanced down and saw her eyes glistening with tears. I turned, hooked a finger under her chin, and made her look me in the eyes.

“Stop it Barbara.”

She tried to look down, but I wouldn’t let her.

“I wanted to know what you considered as your wrongs so that we could discuss them, and I could hopefully reassure you. Neither of us are perfect. We both have strengths and we both have weaknesses, which is what makes us so damned good at what we do. It’s also what makes us, well, us.”

“I feel so stupid. I was taken in by her, and I nearly lost the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“You wouldn’t have. We wouldn’t have let that happen.”

“But…”

I smiled down at her, using the pads of my thumbs to wipe away the tears that were tracing their way to freedom down her cheeks. She snuggled into my side, so I put my arm around her shoulder again and hugged her close.

“We’ve always disagreed Barbara. We’ve shouted and insulted each other, but in all that time it has never broken us. It couldn't. Remember when we said that we had both found something that gave us a reason to get up in the morning. I still have that, and I hope you do too.”

“I do.”

“Then nothing else matters, and it never will."


End file.
